بِأَيِّ وَفِيٍّ في زمانِك تختصُّ

بِأَيِّ وَفِيٍّ في زمانِك تختصُّ

فيغلو غلُوّاً في يديكَ له رُخْصُ

فيغلو غلُوّاً في يديكَ له رُخْصُ

Which loyal man in your time do you single out,

With what and in what times are you specialized?

so that his cheapness becomes exceedingly dear in your hands?

So it exceeds excessively in your hands, to which it has a license

وكم من عدوٍّ كامنٍ في مُصادِقٍ

وكم من عدوٍّ كامنٍ في مُصادِقٍ

وَمَوضِعِ أمْنٍ فيه يحترسُ اللِّصُّ

وَمَوضِعِ أمْنٍ فيه يحترسُ اللِّصُّ

And how many an enemy lurks within a friend,

And how many latent enemies in an alleged friend

and how many a place of safety where the thief keeps watch!

And a place of safety in which the thief takes precautions

وكم فرَس في الحسن أُكمِل خلقُهُ

وكم فرَس في الحسن أُكمِل خلقُهُ

فلمَّا عَدا في الشأوِ أدركهُ النقصُ

فلمَّا عَدا في الشأوِ أدركهُ النقصُ

And how many a horse had its form perfected in beauty,

And how many horses perfected in beauty

but when it ran the race, deficiency overtook it.

Yet when competing in glory, deficiency overtook it

وكم منظرٍ في البُزْلِ قدّم في السرى

وكم منظرٍ في البُزْلِ قدّم في السرى

فلمَّا استَمَرَّ النصُّ أخّرَهُ النصُّ

فلمَّا استَمَرَّ النصُّ أخّرَهُ النصُّ

And how many a fine-looking mature camel was put first in night travel,

And how many sights presented in morning are deferred

but when the hard driving continued, the hard driving set it back.

When the text continues, the text defers it

كذاكَ خليلُ المرءِ يدعو اختبارُهُ

كذاكَ خليلُ المرءِ يدعو اختبارُهُ

إلى ما يكون الزهدُ فيه أوِ الحرصُ

إلى ما يكون الزهدُ فيه أوِ الحرصُ

Likewise, testing a man's close friend leads

So is the friend of a person, his trial calls

to either indifference toward him or eagerness for him.

To what would be asceticism in it or greed

ولا خَيْرَ في خُلْقٍ يُذَمّ لجهله

ولا خَيْرَ في خُلْقٍ يُذَمّ لجهله

وَيُحْمَدُ منه قبْلَ خِبرَتِهِ الشخصُ

وَيُحْمَدُ منه قبْلَ خِبرَتِهِ الشخصُ

And no good lies in a character condemned for its folly,

And there is no good in a nature blamed for ignorance

though its bearer is praised for it before being tested.

And praised for its personality before experience

وما المالُ إلّا كالجَناحِ لِناهِضٍ

وما المالُ إلّا كالجَناحِ لِناهِضٍ

وقد يَعْتريهِ عن حوائجه القَصُّ

وقد يَعْتريهِ عن حوائجه القَصُّ

And wealth is only like a wing to one taking flight,

And money is only like wings for one rising

yet clipping may befall it, keeping him from his needs.

And deficiency may afflict it from its needs

وكم فاضلٍ ملبوسُهُ دونَ قَدْرِهِ

وكم فاضلٍ ملبوسُهُ دونَ قَدْرِهِ

وِعَا الجوهرِ الأجسام لا الدرُّ والفصُّ

وِعَا الجوهرِ الأجسام لا الدرُّ والفصُّ

And how many a worthy man wears clothing beneath his worth!

And how many virtuous people dressed below their worth

Bodies, not pearls and ring-stones, are vessels of precious essence.

The essence distinguished bodies, not pearls and gems